Non-precious cobalt–bismuth binary oxide as a superior catalyst for the highly selective aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid in aqueous solvent

We designed and synthesized a cheap CoBi binary oxide catalyst. Almost complete conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) was achieved on the as-prepared catalyst under mild conditions.